Woman’s charges upgraded to murder after girl found in trunk, officials say

A woman previously arrested in Hall County with concealing the death of a child is now facing murder charges, officials said.

Jessica Maria Motes, 36, has been in jail since Oct. 26 after the body of a 4-year-old girl was found in the trunk of her vehicle, documents revealed. Wednesday evening, the GBI announced she is facing additional charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery and first-degree cruelty to children.

Motes is expected to make her first court appearance on the new charges Thursday.

The state agency was asked by the Oakwood Police Department to take over the investigation because the incident involves multiple jurisdictions, the department told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

On the day the child’s body was found, Motes was seen by her father driving a Nissan sedan into the parking lot of a Sam’s Club and Walmart Supercenter on Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood, about 15 minutes south of Gainesville, according to an arrest warrant charging her with concealing the death of another. There, she spoke with her father, telling him that she “hurt (redacted content)” and “I think she is dead,” the warrant stated.

Her father then drove her away from the parking lot and they eventually encountered law enforcement, officials wrote in the warrant.

Authorities have not said how Motes is connected to the child. However, an incident report stated that a 911 caller, whose identity was not released, reported that “a mother contacted family members about some type of injury involving her child.”